{"id":557816,"date":"2026-04-22T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/557816\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T09:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:00:21","slug":"former-rangers-defenseman-wins-prestigious-ahl-award-after-leaving-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/557816\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Rangers defenseman wins prestigious AHL award after leaving New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Rangers News<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sustained NHL success eluded Zac Jones during his five-year tenure with the New York Rangers from 2020 to 2025. But that could change after the former Blueshirts defenseman \u2014 now a member of the Buffalo Sabres organization \u2014 turned heads with a stellar 2025-26 campaign in the American Hockey League.<\/p>\n

Jones was named the Eddie Shore Award winner<\/a> as the top defenseman in the AHL, the League announced Tuesday. He paced all AHL defensemen<\/a> with 62 points (10 goals, 52 assists) in 60 games with the Rochester Americans, and led all skaters in assists.<\/p>\n

Jones earned First Team AHL All-Star honors and became just the second defenseman in the league\u2019s 90-year history to lead the AHL in assists, joining Craig Levie, who did so in 1980-81 with 62.<\/p>\n

Selected by New York in the third round (No. 68 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Jones played sparingly with the Rangers, recording 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) and a minus-10 rating across 115 NHL games. He appeared in a career-high 46 games in 2024-25, notching 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) and averaging 17:24 TOI<\/p>\n

Despite a solid offensive skill set and puck-moving capabilities, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound defenseman largely struggled to earn the trust of three different coaches \u2014 David Quinn, Gerard Gallant, and Peter Laviolette \u2014 during his time in New York.<\/p>\n

New York didn\u2019t tender a qualifying offer to Jones<\/a> last offseason, and he became an unrestricted free agent. Jones signed a one-year, two-way contract<\/a> with the Sabres on July 1, and is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this coming offseason.<\/p>\n

Jones was called up by Buffalo multiple times as a depth defenseman, though he never appeared in an NHL game with the Sabres in 2025-26. Instead, he helped Rochester clinch a postseason berth as the lowest seed in the North Division.<\/p>\n

Rangers seek puck-moving defenseman in 2026 offseason<\/p>\n

\"NHL:Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

At exit day interviews Friday, coach Mike Sullivan highlighted puck-moving defensemen as an area of need for New York this offseason<\/a>. Not long ago, Jones figured to be an intriguing option that fit the bill.<\/p>\n

I asked Sullivan about offseason needs and he highlighted two areas:<\/p>\n

\u2013 Puck-moving D<\/p>\n

\u2013 Strengthen the bottom 6 with players who can take some of the tough assignments and special teams responsibilities off the plates of their top forwards#NYR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Jones began the 2024-25 campaign as a lineup regular on the third-pair, replacing veteran blue-liner Erik Gustafsson as the Rangers looked to build on a Presidents\u2019 Trophy-winning campaign in 2023-24. But the undersized defenseman fell out of favor with Laviolette and spent nearly half the season as a healthy scratch.<\/p>\n

Given Sullivan\u2019s emphasis on defensive responsibility, it\u2019s unlikely the offensive-minded Jones would have gotten much runway with New York in 2025-26. Sullivan\u2019s limited usage of Scott Morrow<\/a> \u2014 another young, offensively talented defenseman with subpar defensive habits \u2014 even when Adam Fox<\/a> missed 27 games due to a pair of injuries, suggests a similar fate for Jones, had the Rangers extended him.<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s no surprise that Sullivan highlighted the need for another puck-moving defenseman. Outside of Fox, who played to a nearly point-per-game pace in 2025-26 with 53 points (nine goals, 44 assists) in 55 games, New York lacked playmaking on the backend.<\/p>\n

Free-agent addition Vladislav Gavrikov<\/a> exploded for a career-high 14 goals \u2014 eight more than his previous best \u2014 as Fox\u2019s partner on the top pair, but his calling card remains elite defensive play, not offense.<\/p>\n

The Rangers need a defenseman adept at breaking the puck out of their own zone \u2014 ideally one who can fill a second-pair role next to a stay-at-home option like Will Borgen<\/a>. The uncertain future of Braden Schneider<\/a> only amplifies the need for an addition to New York\u2019s top four.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 success this season, albeit in the minor leagues, is a painful reminder of the talent New York failed to develop in its own system, leaving them seeking to fill a similar role this offseason.<\/p>\n

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\t\tLou Orlando is an alum of Fordham University, where he covered the New York Rangers for three seasons as … More about Lou Orlando<\/a><\/p>\n

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